Automobile heater



Oct 25, 1938.

C. H. WILL ET AL AUTOMOBILEHEATER 1 Filed June 8, 1936 2 Shee'ts-Sheet l INVENTORS CARI. H.W||

H NRVWLF NH BY 6 m1 ATTORNEYS Oct.Z5,1938. HMLL E 2,134,649

INVENTORS CARL H. w:

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H NRY ATTo Patented Oct. 25, 1938 AUTOMOBILE HEATER CarlH. Will and Henry W. Fink, Minneapolis, Minn., assignors to Tropic-Aire, Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minn., a. corporation of Delaware Application June a, 1936, \Serial No. 84,132

9 Claims.

This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in automobile heaters, generally, and more particularly to the air deflecting means thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide an automobile heater comprising a casing havin an opening therein through which the heated air is circulated, and a deflector being mounted for rotary movement in said opening and adapted to be driven by the circulation of. air through the opening, thereby to more uniformly distribute the heated air throughout the vehicle body.

A further object is to provide a heater of the class described comprising a casing having a water circulating core mounted therein and provided with means for circulating air therethrough and through an opening in a wall of the casing, and a deflector being mounted for rotary movement in said opening and having a plurality of 0 arcuately formed louvres through which the heated air is circulated from the heater, and said deflector being arranged to be driven by the circulation of air through the heater, thereby to more uniformly distribute the heated air throughout the vehicle body.

Other objects of. the invention reside in the specific construction of the deflector; in the novel means provided for rotatably supporting the deflector and whereby wear in the bearing parts thereof is automatically taken up; and, in the particular arrangement and-shape of the louvres provided in the deflector, which areso shaped that when the deflector is rotated by the circulation of air through the heater, the heated air discharging from the heater will be projected at an angle from the axis of the deflector and in the form of a spiral, whereby more uniform circulation of. the heated air throughout the vehicle body is obtained, and without materially adding to the cost of manufacture and to the cost of operating the heater.

Other objects of the invention will appearfrom the following description and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed astructure designed to carry 'outthe varioustobjects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown as various changes may be made'within the scope of the claims which follow.

,In the drawings: v

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view on the line I| of Figure 2, showing the novel deflector herein disclosed embodied in the construction of a conventional hot water heater;

Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the preferred construction of the deflector bearing;

Figure 4 is a front view of a deflector having arcuately formed louvres all directed in substantially the same direction;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 4, showing the vanes provided adjacentthe periphery of the deflector adapted to be impinged by the air currents circulated through the heater, thereby to rotate the deflector;

Figure 7 is a front view of a deflector of modifled construction wherein the louvres are arranged in two groups, and the louvres of one group being oppositely disposed with respect to the louvres of the other group, whereby the heated air is projected from the deflector in opposite directions; and

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view on the line 8-8 of Figure '7.

In the selected embodiment of the invention here shown, there is illustrated in Figures 1 and '2, a hot water heater of conventional construction comprising a casing, generally indicated by the numeral 2, having a front shell 3 provided with an opening 4 through which the heated air from'the heater is circulated. A suitable water circulating core 5 is mounted within the casing 2 and is provided with suitable connections 6 and 1, whereby it may be conveniently connected in the water cooling system of the engine. A suitable motor 8 is shown mounted adjacent to the core 5 and has a fan 9 for circulating air through the core 5 and opening 4 into the vehicle body.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the means provided for distributing the heated air within the vehicle body. As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, a suitable deflector, generally indicated by the numeral l I, is mounted in the opening 4 provided in the front shell 3 of the heater. The deflector II has a suitable hub l2 bored to receive a tubular shaft l3, one end of which is secured to the hub 25 of a spider I4, having its arms l5 suitably secured to the casing 2 of theheater by such means as screws IS. The diameter of the deflector II is slightly less than the diameter of the opening 4, to permit free rotary movement of the deflector thereon.

The hub l2 of the deflector II is shown provided with suitable counterbores i3 and I1, the former beingprovided with a cone-shaped ball race i8, and the latter a similarly shaped ball race l9. A collar 2| is mounted on the other end of the tubular shaft l3, and is retained in position thereon by a suitable screw 22 having an element 23 received in threaded engagement with the opposite end thereof, as clearly shown .in Figure 3. A suitable spring 24 is interposed The bearing, above described, provides a very simple and inexpensive anti-friction bearing for the deflector II, and is so constructed that wear in the parts is automatically taken up without attention by the action of the spring 24.

The deflector ll, illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, is shown provided with groups of deflectors, generally indicated by the numerals 28, 29, and 31, located adjacent the periphery thereof and Other louvres 32, 33, and 33 are provided in the central portion of the deflector and are disposed in the same direction as the louvres adjacent the periphery of the deflector.

A plurality of vanes 35 are struck out of the metal, and are disposed between the inner and outer groups of louvres, as best shown in Figure 2. These vanes are so disposed that when impinged by the air circulated through the heater, will cause rotation of the deflector in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a deflector of modified construction, comprising a sheet metal body 36 having a peripheral flange 31, and provided with a hub l2 in a manner similar to the deflector ll.

The deflector 36 is shown having a plurality of arcuately formed louvres, generally indicated by the numeral 38, which are preferably struck from a common center, although it is to be understood that the curves or shapes thereof may be varied, if desired. A plurality of vanes 39 are provided adjacent the periphery of the deflector 30 adapted to be impinged by the air circulated through the heater whereby the de- 1 flector will rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 4. By shaping the louvres 38 as shown, the air discharging from the heater will be spread outwardly in substantially the shape of a fan, as indicated by'the arrows in Figure 4, and because of'the rotation of the deflector, the heated air will be spread outwardly in the form of a spiral, whereby it is uniformly distributed throughout the interior of the vehicle body.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a deflector 4| comprising two groups of louvres, generally indicated by the numerals 42 and 33. These louvres are oppositely disposed, whereby greater distribution I movement, when the heater is operating, the heated air discharging from the heater will be projected outwardly in a direction away from the axis of the deflector, as will readily be understood by reference to Figures 1 and 2, thereby obtaining more, uniform distribution of the heat within the vehicle body without materially adding to the cost of the heater.

rIn the drawings, I have shown the-deflector embodied in the construction of a hot water heater of well-known design, but it is to be understood that it may be used in connection with other types of forced circulation heaters where applicable, without departing from the 'scope of the invention, A suitable guard 20 is disposed in the opening 4 of the front shell 3 to protect the deflector II, and also to prevent foreign objects from accidentally contacting therewith. Elements 35 and 39, function as driving vanes.

, Elements 29, 29, 3!, 32, 33, 34, 33,42 and 43 function as distributor vanes. The terms driving and distributor show a difference in function and are used for the sake of clarity. It is understood of course that although the particular I, louvre form of driving and distributor vanes is all of which are directed in the same direction.

claimed per se, the broad invention is not limited to the particular manner or shape or formation of these elements. It is true that a very cheap device can be made by punching out a disc to provide the louvre-like forms of these functionally different elements.

Features of the invention therefore include the specific manner of arranging the driving vanes relatively to the distributing vanes. For example,

in Figure 2 the driving vanes circumscribe a central or middle group of the distributing vanes while these elements are in turn circumscribed by distributor vanes. In Figure 4 the driving vanes circumscribe all distributing vanes and in Figure 7 the distributing vanes are arranged in groups at opposite sides of a diameter which passes through the axis of rotation ofthe disc, or deflector plate.

Another feature relates to the arrangement of the elements 35 with reference to the fan to obtain a rotation of the plate in the same direction as the rotation of the fan. A feature also relates to the arrangement in Figure 4 in which the elements 39 are so related to the fan that the plate rotates in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the fan.

The vanes 35 are formed by inward punching of the disc, the vanes 33 are formed by outward punching. Vanes 35 are separated on three sides. Vanes 39 are separated on only one side. All louvre-like punchings provide forwardly slanting walls which cause the air to be delivered at an angle which is acute relatively to the front face of the disc or deflector element.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination with a fan, a rotatable deflector element having driving vanes against which air delivered by the fan acts to rotate said element, said element having additional vanes .which act as said element is rotated by the driving vanes to distribute the air in a predetermined manner.

2. In combination with a fan, a rotatable deflector element having marginal driving vanes against which air delivered by the outer portions of the fan blades acts to rotate said element.

3. In combination with a fan, a rotatable de flector element having marginal driving vanes against which air delivered by the fan acts to rotate said element, said element having in addition distributor vanes circumscribed by'said driving vanes.

4. In combination with a fan, a rotatable deflector element having a circular row 0! driving vanesagainst which air delivered by the fan acts to rotate the element, said element having in addition sets of vanes respectively disposed within and at the outside of said row and adapted to distribute the air in a predetermined manner.

5. In combination with a fan of the axial delivery type, a deflector element rotatable on an axis co-axial with that of the axis of rotation of the fan and having driving vanes against which air delivered by the ian acts to rotate said deflector element, said element having additional vanes which act as said element is rotated by the a driving vanes to distribute the air in a predetermined manner.

6. In combination with a fan of the axial delivery type, a deflector plate rotative on an axis co-axial with that of the axis of rotation of the fan, said plate having a circular row oi. driving vanes against which air delivered by the Ian acts to rotate the plate, said plate also having distributor vanes parallel with and elongated in a direction of a diameter of the plate '7. In combination with a fan of the axial delivery type, adeflector plate rotative on an axis co-axial with that of the axis 01 rotation 01 the fan, said plate having a circular row of driving vanes against which air delivered by the tan acts to rotate the plate, said plate also having curved distributor vanes, the curves being generated from a common center which lies on a diameter passing through the axis of rotation of the plate.

a 8. In combination with a fan of the axial delivery type, a deflector plate rotative on an axis co-axial with that of the axis of rotation of the fan, said plate having a punched out circular row of driving louvres against which air delivered by the fan acts to rotate the plate, said plate also having punched out distributor louvres parallel with a diameter of the plate;

9. In combination with a fan of the axial delivery type, a deflector element rotative on an axis co-axial with that 01' the axis of rotation 01' thefan, said plate having a circular row of driving vanes and having distributing vanes arranged in sets at opposite sides of a diameter which passes through the rotative axis of the plate, one set reversely curved relatively to the other set, and the members of each set being generated from a center-which lies near or on a 35' diameter which between the sets.

CARL H. WILL. HENRY,W. FINK. 

